Thursday, February 3, 2011

The other night when we were at Corner Table for dinner we got to try a little of Scott's fermented ginger & parsnip soda. It was so good that it had Matt & I thinking about what flavors of soda we could make at home. We decided to go with ginger because I love ginger ale & added the lemongrass because I had a few stalks lingering in the crisper.
The thing with making soda is you have to have a way to carbonate it. Scott does this by adding yeast & letting it ferment, similar to making beer. We went a much easier route & used our Sodastream which is a super easy way to carbonate water. You could also use a spritzer bottle or just buy some soda water. From there all you need is some flavor infused simple syrup to add to the carbonated water.
This flavor turned out even better than we expected. The ginger flavor & aroma are quite strong with that little bit of burn only fresh ginger has. Then there is that subtle hint of the lemongrass, the perfect compliment. It would make one heck of a mixed drink. Plus it's not overly sweet & doesn't contain artificial anything! Matt thinks it's a lot better than Sodastream's ginger ale syrup. After this success I'm looking forward to trying lots of other flavor ideas.

Ginger & Lemongrass Soda
(This simple syrup would also make a great flavoring for ice cream.)

Use a rolling pin or pestle to give the lemongrass & ginger a good mashing to release the flavors. Put the ginger, lemongrass, sugar & water into a small saucepan.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to help dissolve the sugar. Once simmering, continue to stir for 1 more minute. Let simmer another 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat & let cool. Strain into an airtight container.

Makes 2 1/2 - 3 cups of syrup. You can keep the syrup in your fridge for quite a while.

To make the soda carbonate 1 liter of water. Mix in 1/2 c of the ginger lemongrass syrup.

Makes 1 liter

I experimented with how much syrup to add by adding 2 tablespoons at a time & tasting it until I was satisfied with the intensity of the flavor. Everyone's taste is different so I recommend doing the same thing until you discover your perfect ration.